Rochy’s got Hore, now it wants $4m more

The Nationals candidate for Murray Plains Brett Hosking joined Liberals leader and wannabe premier Jess Wilson in Rochester earlier this year to confirm the promised cashflow.

It was first guaranteed by Federal Nationals candidate for Bendigo Andrew Lethlean, but when the Coalition got smashed at the polls that promise sank without a trace.

Hosking said the funding commitment would support a full overhaul of the reserve’s social rooms, a refurbishment of the existing change rooms, construction of a new AFL-compliant change room, modern umpire facilities and improved disability access for all visitors.

The reserve upgrades carry a total price tag of $5.59 million and have been in the pipeline for several years, with master plans already drawn up.

The Coalition’s $4 million pledge would bridge most of the gap — leaving the project just $1.59 million short of the finish line and clubs who call the reserve home have been hard at it with their own fundraising.

The reserve’s primary user — and the driving force of those fundraising efforts — is the Rochester Football Netball Club.

Club president Justin Cleary said he welcomed the funding commitment, saying it would make a significant difference to the club and the broader community.

“These are the sorts of things which are still helping people feel reassured Rochester has got a future … there are people listening and there’s opportunity to create really exciting developments for the community,” Cleary said.

He said when the new funding promise was made in July, it coincidentally was announced just days before the user-group committee got to see the first draft of the upgrade designs.

Crucially, the final designs would also upgrade the facilities into a community venue capable of accommodating up to 200 people, further strengthening the reserve’s established role as an emergency relief centre during flood events and other crises.

Cleary said this was an especially important aspect to the upgrades, as it was something the entire community could get behind.

“I think it is important it’s a whole-of-community facility that’s being undertaken and once finished there’s no doubt it’ll be a great benefit for the whole community,” he said.

Speaking at the announcement, Ms Wilson said regional communities such as Rochester deserved access to modern facilities which met the needs of today’s sporting clubs and community groups.

“Rochester is a resilient community which has faced enormous challenges in recent years, particularly through repeated flood events,” Wilson said.

“This investment gives the Rochester community its own fresh start and will deliver the modern, inclusive and accessible facilities local families deserve, while also strengthening Rochester’s capacity to respond when emergencies strike.”

Community members have already contributed their own money towards the upgrades, eager to see the project completed.

For local user groups, the fight for the reserve’s future continues regardless of the political polling.

With the first draft of the upgrade designs landing on committee desks this week, the dream of a modernised hub is closer than ever.

As Cleary puts it, the town is simply ready to see the blueprints become reality.

“It has all really just made that feel a bit more real,” he said.

"We’ve got an opportunity actually to pull this off.”